Two Travel Days - British Columbia, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming!

We were up early getting ready to hit the road Saturday morning!

Bev and Brian prepared a wonderful breakfast and, as we sat around the table with our coffee, I marveled at how God gifts us with special friendships. He simply allows our paths to cross and an amazing friendship forms.

Bev and Brian usually spend part of every winter down south in the states....Arizona mostly.

However we are all hoping they will headquarter out of Texas next year.

It's a God thing that we have full hookups for their travel trailer right there on our driveway!

I loved on Miss Pepper one last time and then she jumped down and went over to Louis Dean to tell him goodbye.

As I walked down the driveway - I looked up and said, "Good Morning, Canada!

And  just like that we were getting into our car and driving away.

Brian gave us good simple directions for getting back to the road that takes us to the border.

We turned the wrong way, of course, and were wandering around all over the place.

We got confused as to what we had seen on the road in and where we had been on the drive with Bev and Brian. Anyway, I stopped at an automobile repair shop and went in to get directions. We had our navigational thing but we were still confused! When they asked me where I was going, I said, 'Texas. But I need to find the border first!'

It was easy and our navigation thing was right all along. 

 I don't know how we can make simple so complicated!

The border guard asked if we were bringing anything out that we had not taken in.

I said three bottles of home made wine that was gifted to us.

No  problem!

As  soon as we were back in the US, I had news from home that a terrible rain storm had dumped 10 inches of rain in a short amount of time and our house had taken in water in the usual places. Den, sewing room and kitchen. Apparently the water rose so fast that it overwhelmed the sump pump and came in the French doors and ran down into both of the other rooms.

Our dear Stephanie had gone over to check on the house and moved things out of the water areas.

She said it was not standing water but - in places - when she stood on the carpet, the water squished her toes. Not as bad as it has been at times in the past. Still not good.

She had already been in contact with Summer and Amber.

Amber and Mike went over after the quads finished with hockey practice - they look so cute in all their hockey gear! Mike checked the sump pump and it was working.

They dragged the rugs out of the kitchen and into the gazebo and turned the AC down so the house wouldn't get musty smelling.

Suffice it to say - we will have a clean up job to do as soon as we get home.

Summer and Amber are both ill - Summer with her tooth infection which causes her other conditions to worsen - and they aren't able to suck up the water with our shop vac.

Like I said, we have handled worse and we will deal with it when we get home.

Louis Dean said we will enjoy the rest of our trip.

I truly wish I could have taken more pictures of the glorious fall foliage along our way.

While it hasn't peaked to its full glory yet - it is still amazing to see the colors.

We don't get much color in Texas.

Some years the leaves go from green straight to brown.

We stopped at a Safeway and bought some more picnic food and beer......

not just any beer!

We bought some to take back to the ranch and share with Dean and some to use in the margarita recipe Bev gave me.

We drove for a long time in Idaho.

Such a pretty place.

This was our picnic spot Saturday afternoon.

We didn't stay at that table long because it had been raining and the seats were wet.

We relocated to a sheltered one. 

Louis Dean teases me about keeping an electronic gadget in my hand all the time.

We were finally out of Idaho and into Montana.

It was not what I was expecting.

Since it's called Big Sky Country, I thought it would not be so mountainous.

Just beautiful!

It was a long day of driving and we must have stopped to stretch a few too many times because it was dark before we arrived at our motel in Butte, Montana.

**please note - we did not stop at a single store other than Safeway, potty breaks and to get fuel!** 

See? I can do it!

No more night driving!

 I said it when it was night getting to The Dalles in Oregon but I didn't learn my lesson!

I fell into bed last night totally exhausted and woke up with a headache that has not gone away yet.

We left home on Friday, September7th and every night since - 15 straight nights - Louis Dean has slept well. Really well.

Until last night. He said he was awake all night long. At 6:00 this morning he woke me up to tell me he was going downstairs for coffee. 

We ended up on the road this morning before 9:00!

The scenery was so pretty and our rental car drives like a dream.

The higher mountains gave way to smaller ones and then finally big giant hills.

Hwy 90 was under construction in several places so you would be driving along at 80 mph and then they would funnel all the traffic eastbound to the westbound side making it a two lane highway and reducing speeds to 45 mph. Over and over.

We stopped a few times to take photos because the lay of the land was changing right before our eyes as we traveled southeast.

Montana Country!!

Louis Dean took a few pics with his good camera.

Then I hit a 'wall.'

Not with the car but I seemed to have run out of steam.

Too tired. Not enough sleep.

So my knight in shining armor took over the wheel and on we went!

Right on through to Billings, Montana and down to Wyoming.

Long flatter roads!

We went from blue skies .....

to gray ones and then back to blue.

I have loved seeing so much of the country over the last few weeks!

We wisely stopped in Casper, Wyoming around 5:30 this afternoon.

Thanks again to Summer for booking us another good room!

We unloaded and I immediately put my suit on and went down to the indoor heated pool and hot tub!

This morning I had made a batch of Constant Comment tea and poured it up in an empty Gatorade bottle so I had my ice tea, book and a nice long soak in hot water followed by a hot shower.

Louis Dean has enjoyed watching football and playing music.

Now for a good night's sleep!

Just so you know, I have asked Louis Dean to NOT wake me up in the morning!